It’s Friday, time to count the blessings of the week
with Susanne and other friends at Living to Tell the Story.

Some weeks it takes searching and thought to come up with five good things. Other weeks are overflowing. This one is the latter!

1. Our 40th anniversary. We didn’t celebrate on the exact day (except exchanging cards) because that was the day Jeremy came in, and we had a family outing that had to happen that day due to the venue closing. But we went out for a nice dinner the night before. Then the next day we thought we were just going to lunch at Jason and Mittu’s, but they had made an anniversary dinner. Mittu made this wonderful cake. We have a couple of things planned for next week: Jim has the whole next week off, but the kids will all be back at work.

They decorated with doily hearts all over.

2. The family all together. Jeremy’s flight was delayed a day, but we were thankful that occurred before the first flight rather than during a layover. We’re enjoying lots of talking, eating, playing games, watching movies and videos, and togetherness.

3. Christmas in the cavern. The Historic Cherokee Caverns dress up for Christmas with lots of lights, music, and a few characters. We picked up Jeremy at the airport, had a nice dinner out, then went to the caverns. Because it was the last night, it was sooooo crowded. They don’t sell out or sell tickets ahead of time. Eventually we found a parking space not too far away and got through the lines to get tickets. In one sense, the lights, music, and crowds were all a little too much. But it was a fun evening overall, and it made us want to go back and explore during regular hours.

4. Christmas Day. Lots of good food for breakfast, lunch, and dessert, gifts lovingly given and received, the remembrance of our Savior who left heaven’s glories for such a lowly birth, to live and die and be raised again for us.

5. An enjoyable and productive short road trip. Jeremy just bought a new condo with hardwood floors. One of Jim’s customer’s has a rug outlet about 3 1/2 hours away. Jim gets a discount there, so he planned to drive down with Jeremy to see if he could find anything for his new place. I was conflicted about going: my body just doesn’t handle even short road trips well, and spending the day in the car didn’t appeal to me. But I also didn’t want to give up a day with Jeremy while he was here. So I decided to go at last, and I’m so glad I did. We enjoyed talking together, or sometimes I listened while they talked. Eventually on the way back we all got quiet, with me reading, Jeremy on his device, and Jim driving. We had a nice lunch at Subway. Jeremy found all the rugs he needed, I think. We enjoyed a beauitful sunset on the way home then got pizza delivered for dinner. Not only did I enjoy the time together, but I read almost all of one book. It was bliss to have nothing I had to do after one of the busiest days (weeks, months) of the year for me.

Bonus: While at Jason and Mittu’s house, I admired these new decorations. When I asked Mittu where she got them, she said her mom had sent them and had sent a set for me, too. It might sound silly, but it was a special moment for me—one of those times God gives you something you want before you even ask.

I hope you’ve had a good week as well!